Pacific Fishing is published for commercial fishermen and seafood business professionals.

Monday, March 29, 2010

Letter: Otters will ruin fishery

When I heard that the first sea otter had been spotted off of Santa Barbara Harbor, all my alarm sirens went off. Sea otters seem to cast a magical spell upon any landlubber who gazes upon them. But if Santa Barbara is going to welcome the sea otter back, I think it is critical that its residents understand the price that will be exacted.

Kodiak CG aircrew to receive award

The eight Alaska-based Coast Guardsmen from Air Station Kodiak will be awarded the American Helicopter Society’s (AHS) Capt. William J. Kossler Award at the AHS forum in Phoenix on May 12 for saving the lives of seven commercial fishermen in 2009.

North Pacific susceptible to acidification

The cold waters and currents of the North Pacific Ocean make the ecosystems around the Aleutians more susceptible to ocean acidification. Brad Warren, former editor of Pacific Fishing magazine and now with the Sustainable Fisheries Partnership, spoke about the issue at the Western Alaska Interdisciplinary Science Conference.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Device reduces
Bristol Bay bruising

A Bristol Bay fisherman has come up with a device that appears to dramatically reduce bruising, even when fishing is heavy. Crewmen report it makes their job easier. The gizmo is portable and costs about $1,250.

Lawmakers fund Unalaska ferry service

Columbia gillnetters go fishing

Armed with evidence of improved spring Chinook numbers in test-netting Sunday and a winter steelhead run that is winding down, state biologists met by telephone Monday and approved a 12-hour commercial gill-net fishery Tuesday, from noon until midnight.

Plan today for commercial fishing in the Arctic

Arctic nations must chart a course that taps into the region’s rich resources while protecting the environment and livelihoods of the indigenous people who live there, Foreign Affairs Minister Lawrence Cannon said after meeting with his northern coastal counterparts here Monday.

Fair play for California fishermen

I grew up in Ft. Bragg, a small fishing town on California's North Coast. More accurately, Ft. Bragg was a salmon fishing town – the fishermen would bring in Dungeness crab, albacore and rock cod as the seasons and opportunities permitted, but the real business of Ft. Bragg was salmon. And business was good.

– Zeke Grader, executive director of the Pacific Coast Federation of Fishermen’s Associations, writing for the San Francisco Chronicle

Salmon Summit set for Thursday

Fishermen and Congressional leaders will rally to demand action to rebuild the West’s iconic salmon industry at the First Annual Salmon Summit on Thursday, April 1, from 10 am – 2 pm at the Fort Mason Center in San Francisco.

Wednesday, March 31, 2010

Obama: No Bristol Bay drilling

The Obama administration is proposing to open vast expanses of water along the Atlantic coastline, the eastern Gulf of Mexico and the north coast of Alaska to oil and natural gas drilling, much of it for the first time, officials said Tuesday.

Alaska packers tops in weights honesty

The National Conference on Weights and Measures announced the findings of a voluntary multi-state investigation Monday, revealing significant overcharges due to incorrect package weights on some frozen seafood products.

Taku an opportunity to help wild fish

Wild salmon need wild rivers to thrive. That's a simple idea, but it has become a lot more complicated in modern times because so much salmon habitat in so many Pacific coast watersheds has been forsaken for industrial development, hydro power, mining, logging, agriculture, and other activities.

– Mark Angelo, chairman of the Pacific Fisheries Resource Conservation Council in Vancouver and of the Rivers Institute at the B.C. Institute of Technology, and Guido Rahr, executive director of the Wild Salmon Center in Portland, writing in the Vancouver Sun

Icicle donates to university

Icicle Seafoods made a third donation of $200,000 in support of programs and scholarships at several University of Alaska campuses. The donation includes $85,000 to UAA's Institute of Social and Economic Research for the Icicle Fisheries Fund.

CG responds to sinking fish boat in Southeast

CG medevacs injured crewman near Adak

Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak aircrews medevaced a crewman reported to have injured his wrist on the 200-foot trawler, Ocean Peace, homeported in Dutch Harbor, less than a 100 miles northwest of Adak Wednesday morning.

Only sustainable fish for
this cat food

Salmon summit is a ‘call-to-arms’

Pummeled by two straight years of canceled fishing seasons, enraged salmon fishermen held an emotional call-to-arms in San Francisco Thursday, vowing to fight to save the vanishing Chinook salmon.
– San Francisco Chronicle

A broad band sonar?

Researchers at Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution have developed two advanced broadband acoustic systems that they believe could represent the acoustic equivalent of the leap from black-and-white television to high-definition color TV.
– ScienceBlog

Another collision in the Sitka fishery

A collision was reported which occurred during the Sitka sac roe herring fishery. Investigation revealed the seiner F/V Agave, operated by Kenneth M. Jones of Homer, collided with the seiner F/V Alaskan Rose operated by John Johanson, 53, of Klawock.

CG medical flight one of endurance

A Coast Guard Air Station Kodiak MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew conducted a long-range rescue of an injured crewmember from the Dutch Harbor-based, 200- foot trawler Ocean Peace March 31, 2010.
The rescue crew launched from St. Paul Island to fly 400 miles directly to Adak, which would be the equivalent of a helicopter launching from Seattle to San Diego for a rescue.

Halibut schooners still working

This week, as the Tordenskjold prepared for a 99th season, the boat mustered in formation with six other fishing schooners for a rare fleet parade through Lake Union, the Ballard Locks and out into Puget Sound.

Oops!

Yesterday, we had several items concerning the Obama administration’s decision to forbid petroleum exploration off Bristol Bay.
However, we attached the wrong link to an item from Aleutians East Borough, expressing disappointment over the decision. Here is the correct link: